I love statement jewellery. You know, the kind you can really see on the wearer and makes you go wow. The kind that makes you move closer to see more. So it was a real treat when Gaelle first showed me her work. Her collections are a unique and playful look at nature. Beautifully wearable centipedes in gold, silver with diamonds and emeralds, frogs set with diamonds and pearls, gold and sapphire thorns. Roots fashioned into rings, eels into bracelets, fish necklaces and octopus earrings. Her work truly is a 'Garden of Earthly Delights'
Here is Gaelles' story
D:
Tell me about
yourself and your journey in jewellery design so far.
G: I started my jewellery design journey five years ago. At the time, I
was working as a senior economist at one of the top financial institutions in
the MENA region. As much as the transition from the science to the design world
seems unusual, it was the most natural step forward in my case and led me to
launch my eponymous jewellery brand ‘Gaelle Khouri’ in July 2015. It has rapidly received an great response from
the industry with press features in the Financial Times, Telegraph, The Times,
Elle.. We are currently stocked at the Talisman Gallery
Harvey Nichols London who were the first to stock the debut collection, we
are also carried at Stanley Korshak in Texas and Qirdala Boutique
Kuwait. We are also launching next month on Auverture.com.
My professional development started shortly after obtaining a BA in
Economics and a minor in Mathematics from the American University of Beirut
(AUB) and completing a Master’s degree in Economics at New York University
(NYU). Following my graduation, I worked for Toyota Motors as an economic
consultant in NYC, and as a senior economist with Blominvest, a regional
investment bank in Beirut.
The transition from economics and finance to design did not happen
overnight. I always had an interest in the creative and artistic disciplines
but I had not been able to openly express it before due to circumstance at the
time.
I grew up in Tripoli, a city in the North of Lebanon where the
perception of success is largely dictated by a handful of academic fields such
as medicine, engineering, law and economics. This perception partly influenced
my academic choice and led me to major in the scientific field. It was during
my time in New York as a graduate student and professional economist however
that I started to realize that what I want to do was different. A better understanding
of my aspirations, passion and identity then started to form and the notion of
design was very central to it. I took the first step when I interned at Oscar
de la Renta in New York and then at Elie Saab in Beirut. My role at both
institutions focused on strategic expansion and business development but
contributed significantly to my understanding of the design aspect of the
business. I was fortunate to be offered full-time positions at both houses,
although I decided to opt against it as I was already taken by an
entrepreneurial drive to start my own venture.
When I moved back to Beirut I immediately sought and undertook extensive
private jewellery lessons with renowned Lebanese painter, Bernard Renno and
worked extensively on developing my first portfolio within a few months.
Jewellery design - as opposed to fashion - was a more natural choice for
me as it offered some flexibility whilst I continued to work full-time at
Blominvest. Moreover, I found that designing jewellery satisfied my thirst for
exploring and expressing the creative side of my personality that had long been
suppressed. Afterwards, I was faced with the challenging but fascinating world
of production.
The jewellery industry in Lebanon is notoriously secretive and closed -
it is privately controlled by a small number of families, making it very hard
for an outsider to penetrate. This proved to be a difficult obstacle, though
over the past five years I soon developed a solid network of highly competent
artisans and trustworthy stone suppliers that continue to assist in the
creation of my intricate designs.
I would go to the workshop every day after work to sit with artisans,
absorb their knowledge and skills, and learn about the various metals and
precious stones to develop a holistic understanding of the industry. I then
started work on producing my first collection, The Garden of Earthly Delights, and building the brand identity
which included shooting the product and building my website. As I am
self-funded, this process took just over three years to fully launch the brand, and I am now in a position to look forward to expanding internationally.
D:
When you start thinking
about a new collection what is your creative process?
G: It is
actually quite difficult for me to describe the design process as ideas and
figures of potential pieces will come to me quite often randomly in my head - mostly
when I go to sleep and my mind starts to wander. I have a very active
imagination and so always keep a pen and paper on the bedside table so I can
quickly sketch out an idea when I see something. If I didn’t do this, I would
forget what I saw in the morning! Creativity for me stems from the inside, not
outside. Inspiration does not relate to what I see, but to what I experience
emotionally. The pieces I created are sort of my inner voice, they are a
tangible form of my emotions. What is outside, like nature for instance, is
simply “raw products” to help translate the emotions and put them into the
“final product” which is the actual piece.
D:
What is your favourite
part of your job?
G: I honestly love everything about it! Definitely the creative part is what
I enjoy the most. From creating and designing to crafting, a challenging thing
to do - to turn an idea into a tangible piece and make all the detailed
intricacies in my head fall into a wearable piece. But I enjoy every bit of
that challenge! I also enjoy the business aspect of the work. I love the amount
of strategic thinking it needs to create the right image for the brand, find
the right positioning, and grow the brand.
D:
Who or what inspires you?
G: I think we
are all constantly influenced by everything that surrounds us such as music,
stories, random shapes and forms. The amount of information we have access to
is growing even more due to various social media platforms. With such
information and material now made so easily accessible, we are subconsciously
storing the things that we are exposed to in our memory and, for designers such
as myself, everything we are exposed to influences our work whether we actively
seek it or not.
Out of everything that inspires me and is stored in my mind and thought
process I am particularly interested in strong movements and shapes. I find beauty in intricate and complex forms
that are left unfinished and impure; I feel that such pieces with a contrasting
fusion of appeal and unattractiveness create a particular and exotic beauty.
The Italian architect, Renzo
Piano for example, has such complexities in his work – there are so many
different perspectives in one piece when you look at it from a number of
angles. Similarly, Jean Tinguely’s sculptures are very relatable to my own
designs and what inspires me to create, as his work focuses on movement and
technical challenges – something that triggers my own personal interests when
designing.
Visual influence aside, my reflective thinking is very much influenced
by philosophical thoughts which consequently impact my creative process. I have
always been greatly inspired by the writings of Michel de Montaigne, Hegel, and
Nietzsche, each of them providing me with the strength to pursue my love for
jewellery design and endowing me with the emotional depth that I work to
translate in my designs.
D:
Describe your own
personal style.
G: I like to mix and match contrasting pieces that wouldn’t normally work
together, like vintage pieces and modern ones. Also, I love to mix couture
pieces with embroidery and a fine feel, with more basic fabric like plain white
t-shirt. The cut is a key though to make it work! I would say my style is a bit
edgy with a boho feel, it is a bit of everything! I love oversized shirts and
do a lot of layering in Winter and try to stay away from black as much as
possible as I have a tendency to always pick that color! But because of the
nature of my work, and the time I spent running around at the workshop, I don’t
always have the luxury to wear what I want, sometimes comfort clothes takes
over taste!
D:
Tell me something
surprising about yourself.
G: - I was national champion at swimming in Lebanon when I was 15 years old!
I won the
Fabriano competition at school.
When in an
elevator and someone is approaching to get in, I enjoy closing the automatic
door and keep them out!
Thank you to Rosewood London for looking after us and allowing us to to use one of your beautiful suites for the shoot. And to Push PR for letting me set up and shoot the stop motion film.
